Via Dan Barreiro of the Star Tribune
Minnesota Timberwolves
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Knicks GM Scott Layden said he drafted 141/2 feet of center Thursday. But if 18-year-old 7-footer Majiec Lampe, who has a small forward's game, and 7-6 Slavko Vranes are not ready for the rotation, then the Knicks will not have accomplished their goal of getting "longer" in the frontcourt for next season.
If 6-8 Mike Sweetney becomes the opening-night starter at power forward, the Knicks still will be undersized at all three frontcourt positions, including at center, where 6-9 Kurt Thomas continues to masquerade as a pivot.
That is why the Knicks are hardly done with their retooling project. Free agency begins Tuesday and the Knicks will make another play for the Timberwolves' 7-foot center Rasho Nesterovic, who is now an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks also have interest in Alonzo Mourning and Pacers center Brad Miller, but Miller's market value will be higher than Nesterovic's and Mourning prefers to re-sign with Miami.
"They showed extreme interest last summer and I don't see that changing this summer," Nesterovic's agent, Bill Duffy, told The Post.
The Knicks courted Nesterovic, 27, last July but only had their $4.5 million exception to offer. Plus, Nesterovic was a restricted free agent and the Wolves likely would have matched any offer. Duffy believed Nesterovic was worth more than $4.5M and passed on the Knicks' long-term offer. Nesterovic elected to re-sign with Minnesota for one year, thus becoming unrestricted this Tuesday after having a nice year, averaging 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Via New York Post
New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves
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Season after season, the Timberwolves have been patient — building from within while doing without several first-round draft picks, waiting weeks into free agency before making any substantial moves, then promising adjustments after the inevitable first-round playoff defeat.
But that changed last week, when, in a 16-hour period, the Wolves drafted a skinny high school player and made a trade that should improve the team.
And the plan is for the changes to continue.
"This definitely is just a beginning,'' team owner Glen Taylor said Friday, hours after Minnesota traded Joe Smith and Anthony Peeler to Milwaukee for Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson. "We've got a lot more work to do.''
Teams are allowed to begin negotiating with free agents Tuesday and can sign them beginning July 16. The Wolves have eight, but the first priority is to get a decision from starting center Rasho Nesterovic, who plans to test the free agent market and already has sparked interest from New York and Toronto, at least.
"I think we just want to know where we sit with Rasho," Taylor said, noting that if Nesterovic leaves, Alonzo Mourning has put the Wolves on a list of teams he's willing to talk to. "But Rasho's our No. 1, so that's what we prefer to do.''
Nesterovic's decision will determine if the Wolves need another center, and also how they can obtain new talent. Because Minnesota has exceeded the salary cap, it has exceptions worth only $1.5 million and about $4.6 million with which to sign free agents, although the team can re-sign its own free agents for more.
Wolves vice president Kevin McHale also has been negotiating a trade involving injured point guard Terrell Brandon, who won't play again but whose contract will give a team luxury tax relief once he retires. However, the player the Wolves have been seeking in those deals has not been a top-notch center. If Nesterovic signs elsewhere, that might have to change.
Via Pioneer Press
Minnesota Timberwolves
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Timberwolves Jun 2003 Archive
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Pioneer Press | Jun 28, 2003
The Timberwolves on Thursday drafted for the future.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 28, 2003
The 19-year-old high school kid and the skinny long shot from Duluth -- the Timberwolves' two draft picks Thursday night -- realistically won't help the team improve much next season.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Jun 28, 2003
The almighty greenback continues to be a deciding factor in the Milwaukee Bucks' player personnel moves.
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| Jun 28, 2003
The 19-year-old high school kid and the skinny long shot from Duluth -- the Timberwolves' two draft picks Thursday night -- realistically won't help the team improve much next season.
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KFAN Sports Radio | Jun 28, 2003
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RealGM.com | Jun 27, 2003
Multiple league sources report that the Bucks and Timberwolves have agreed to a trade that would send Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson to Minnesota with Anthony Peeler and Joe Smith going to Milwaukee.
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Pioneer Press | Jun 27, 2003
Even Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale had to laugh a bit Thursday after Minnesota drafted its second and final player of the night.
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Pioneer Press | Jun 27, 2003
It was good to see Kevin McHale and Flip Saunders excited again instead of merely faking it for the cameras.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 27, 2003
The Timberwolves already were living in the past Thursday night, selecting in the first round of the NBA draft for the first time since 1999.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 26, 2003
Rick Rickert and his agent, Bill Duffy, seem to have reached a glum conclusion about tonight's NBA draft: Rickert will not be a first-round pick.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 26, 2003
Before his recent 15-city pre-NBA draft workout tour, point guard Troy Bell's only other job interview was at FootLocker.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press Columnist Charley Walters | Jun 26, 2003
Look for the Timberwolves to make Troy Bell of Minneapolis their first pick in tonight's NBA draft, if he's available.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 26, 2003
Kevin McHale, vice president of Timberwolves basketball, and coach Flip Saunders looked back to the 1995 draft when they gambled by taking high school senior Kevin Garnett, who turned into an NBA star.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 25, 2003
If there were an exact science to the NBA draft, Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale said recently, a dozen teams would not have passed on Karl Malone in 1985, John Stockton wouldn't have fallen to No.
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hoopsworld.com | Jun 24, 2003
When Pacer's GM Donnie Walsh said the Pacers were seriously considering trading some of their young, inexperienced depth for a veteran; most Pacer fans assumed that the veteran he was speaking of would be able to suit up and play.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 24, 2003
The dark clouds encircling the Timberwolves since the Joe Smith fiasco don't look so ominous in hindsight.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 24, 2003
With the NBA draft on Thursday and the Timberwolves having the No.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 22, 2003
The challenge facing the Timberwolves this offseason, beginning with the NBA Draft on Thursday and continuing through three months of trade and free-agent opportunities, is simple: Have a big summer this year or get a big summer thrust upon them next year.
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Indianapolis Star | Jun 21, 2003
On the same day in late May, LeBron James signed a five-year, $5 million contract with Upper Deck, the trading card company, and a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike that brought a $10 million signing bonus.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press Columnist Charley Walters | Jun 20, 2003
Chances are decent the Timberwolves will make Aleksandar Pavlovic, a 6-foot-7 athletic shooting guard from Serbia, their first pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
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Indianapolis Star | Jun 20, 2003
The Indiana Pacers' ability to re-sign their free agents without exposing themselves to luxury tax penalties could rest with Terrell Brandon's contract.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 19, 2003
Timberwolves Vice President Kevin McHale was certain of at least one thing last week.
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Palm Beach Post | Jun 18, 2003
Chris Bosh will miss hanging out with friends and going to parties at Georgia Tech.
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Oakland Tribune | Jun 18, 2003
Could free-agent point guard Gary Payton return to his hometown next season to play for the Golden State Warriors?
It may be a longshot, but "it's not by any means out of the question," said one of his agents, Eric Goodwin.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune Steve Aschburner | Jun 17, 2003
The San Antonio Spurs have nothing on the Timberwolves, with the possible exception of:
• Two NBA championships in the past five years.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 14, 2003
Scouting for prospects in the NBA is becoming more and more a global affair.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune Columnist Dan Barreiro | Jun 13, 2003
While hungry candidates continue to wait for their first shot at being an NBA head coach, Tim Floyd has just been given his second.
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Los Angeles Times | Jun 12, 2003
As expected, the Lakers announced Wednesday that their new radio announcing team will be Joel Meyers and Mychal Thompson.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 12, 2003
Lance Blanks was so diligent, so determined to prove his stuff as a fledgling front-office executive with the San Antonio Spurs two years ago, he nearly cost his club the services of French import Tony Parker.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 11, 2003
Rick Rickert likened it to an audition.
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Pioneer Press | Jun 11, 2003
Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operations, has spoken to more than one team about a trade involving point guard Terrell Brandon, who has not played a game for the Wolves since he had surgery on his left knee in February 2002.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 11, 2003
Rick Rickert, who played two seasons for the Gophers and is headed for the NBA, said Monday he's excited about today's workout for Timberwolves officials at Target Center.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 10, 2003
Andy Miller, agent for Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett, said Monday that he met with Wolves basketball boss Kevin McHale last week at the NBA predraft camp in Chicago, but never talked specifically about a contract extension for Garnett.
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St. Paul Pioneer Press | Jun 8, 2003
Rick Rickert will work out for the Timberwolves on the team's practice court in downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jun 5, 2003
With seemingly every other team in the NBA either seeking a new head coach or letting staff members interview for one of the many vacant positions, it is worth noting that the Timberwolves are not involved on either count.
